His Fire in my Heart
by KaiaUchiha1
Summary: It was just another day in Twilight town...or so I thought. That was before I ran into some cat like green eyes without a heart beat. Now I'm being chased, and flung into worlds I didn't even knew existed. But why? AxelXOc
1. Those eyes

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this story! Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix!**

**Also I did not write this story. It was originally written by an author on Quizilla, so all credit goes to them.**

* * *

I looked out my window gloomily. _Another day in Twilight Town_, I mused. Pulling on my boots, I slipped out the door, and walked along Market Street to see if there would be any new work. Several people waved cheerily to me, perfectly content to live out their monotone lives. I waved back less enthusiastically, and kept going. I decided to go see Seifer before work. After all, I had been working pretty hard. Just a few more days of work, and I'd have enough munny to be able to live comfortably. Then I would buy a train ticket and get out of this place. Hopefully it would be somewhere far, far away.

I noticed that a new train had arrived in the Station recently; a purple one with stars all over it. I scoffed at Hayner and his little gang when they told me that it was the legendary "ghost train" of Twilight Town. I didn't belief in such nonsense. Honestly; a train that has no driver and no passengers? I waved to Seifer, who grinned and motioned me over. I think he was sweet on me. Seifer's a good guy if you're on his good side, but he wasn't the guy for me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't interested in having a guy anyway. There wasn't anything guys and I had in common. It's like they're on an entirely different plane than I am.

"How's it going?" Seifer asked. I shrugged. He grinned; I think he thinks everything I do is arousing or something. Why else would he grin like that?

"Hey, it's Ravus, y'know?" I felt a vein pulse in my head as I turned to Rai. He and Fuu nodded to me. No offense to Rai, but his little 'y'knows?' aren't cool. They're annoying. Really, really annoying. I think Seifer told them off when they tried to run me off the first time I met him. Plus I had beaten Rai too many times in Struggle for him to try and get rid of me. Oh, by the way, my name isn't Ravus. It's a nickname. People think I don't like my full name or something. Actually, they do have a point. My name is a little extravagantfor such a small town.

"We're going scouting. Want to join us?" Seifer asked.

"That'd be totally awesome, y'know?" Rai said enthusiastically. Fuu merely stared, as usual.

"Thanks, but I've got to get to work. I'll see you around." I waved a hand in dismissal, and left. I examined the job board, nearly grimacing at the same mail route I had been doing for the past five weeks. It paid well, but it was a little monotone after a while. I headed to the other job board. Hopefully there'd be more jobs there-

"ARAVIS!"

_Damn it_. I turned to face my mother, who looked frantic. "Where have you been, darling? You weren't in your room!" She wrung her hands nervously.

My mom looks like me except for the hair and the eyes. Hers is cut to her shoulders, and is kind of reddish-brown, while mine is pitch black, which falls to my waist. I've got blue-black eyes, while she has light hazel ones. We have the same pale face, except hers has worry lines all over it. She and I are completely different, too. She's scatterbrained, a complete clean freak, and all lovable and warm, while I'm her complete opposite. I guess I'm the brains of the two of us. I can have a room that looks like a bomb hit it and not care, and I can be cold. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Although people say that when I get angry, I look as though I'm about to throw a fireball at them. Whatever the case, I can be mean.

"I've been out, Mom. Just like the note says on the fridge." I said patiently. My mom is one of the few people I have patience for; I guess it's a daughter thing. She looked confused, and then smacked herself in the forehead.

"Right! The note…sorry, hun. Well, why don't we go somewhere together? A mother-daughter bonding day!" She _always_ wants us to go places together. It's like she's afraid the second I leave her, something's going to snap me up and she'll never see me again. I felt a little bad; I mean, that was my plan. To leave Twilight Town someday. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in this town. I shrugged.

"I have to get to work, Mom." Her face fell in disappointment, but she covered it up quickly. But not quickly enough.

"Right! Well…maybe I'll see you after?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure, Mom." She smiled uneasily, and walked away. Ever since Dad left, she's been a little less secure. Whenever I leave, she's scared that I jumped ship, like Dad did. Of course, she never said anything, but I could tell. I sighed, and walked to the job bulletin board.

* * *

People say that sunset is the best time to be in Twilight Town. I disagree. I love when it's dark; nothing happens. It's just you and the dark, the silence. It sends shivers up spines, and shadows jump out of every corner, scaring the squeamish back home.

I love it.

I'm the only one who travels through the woods at night. People say it's haunted, just like the mansion beyond it. I've been going through those woods for years, and nothing has happened. Some people are just superstitious, I suppose. I slipped through the hole in the wall, and sighed, my bare footed steps barely heard. The trees were so tall that they barely let any moonlight fall in through their thick, leafy branches. I'd once persuaded Rai to come in here with me. I had run off, leaving him there all alone. When he started freaking out, I had jumped out and screamed at the top of my lungs. He had never come back again. Especially not at night. Yeah, I can be pretty mean, I know. But even he gets a laugh out of it now.

I twirled a leaf between my fingers, and breathed in the smell of grass and tree sap. A cold wind was blowing tonight. A little unusual in these parts, but it happened. I couldn't help but wonder if the mansion gate would be open tonight. I hoped so; it had only happened once before, but it had been unreal; the place was so perfectly silent and empty that even I felt a little freaked out. I hadn't explored the entire place yet, but I was determined to, someday. Before I left Twilight Town, I always thought. The wind blew stronger. I shivered, and drew my jacket closer to my body.

_This is weird_, I thought. I came out of the woods, the soft moonlight reflecting in the mansion gate. The old gate had stood there ever since I was little. When my parents and I first came to Twilight Town, the first thing I had found was this gate. I had tried to open it, but I didn't have the key. Disappointed, I vowed to one day find the key. A child's hopeful fantasies, eh?

I rested my hand against the cold iron of the gate, peering through the bars as I always did. I smirked as I looked up at the window;

"They say there's a girl who appears at the second floor window, even though no one's lived there for years." Pence's words echoed in my mind. I doubted it, personally. I'm a very literal person; fantasies don't really spark my imagination. Well, I looked anyway, and no one appeared. I sighed, and turned around, heading for home. Mom would worry if I wasn't back soon. The darkness fell over me as I walked through the dark woods. I knew the paths well, so I didn't stumble on roots or anything like that. I picked up a stray branch, tapping it against my palm before setting it down. A few birds chirped tiredly, ready for sleep as a lone owl hooted. "Same old Twilight Town," I mused.

A stick snapped. I froze.

There aren't any animals in these woods besides the birds. And they don't snap sticks.

Especially not right behind me. Like every idiot in these situations, I whipped around, searching for the source of the noise. When seeing no one there, I let out a sigh.

_Idiot_, I reprimanded myself. _There's nothing in here except you_. So I didn't slowly turn around, like every terrified heroine in stupid horror novel does. I turned right back around, and left the woods with no further mishaps.

…Okay, I totally lied. Something did happen.

I turned around, snorting with derision, and looked straight into a pair of brilliant green eyes. I froze again, shocked. Other than the eyes, there was no other source of life in front of me. Just the eyes and the darkness. Those eyes… they were so… unreal. Abruptly, the eyes disappeared. I swallowed, trying to remember how to breathe. The wind picked up again, and like a distressed damsel I scurried home. The second I entered my house, I rushed up my stairs, ignoring my mom's calls. I entered my room, shut the door, and leaned against it, trying to calm my frantic breaths. I couldn't really understand what was wrong with me. Sure, seeing a pair of eyes in the darkness would freak anyone out, but I wasn't one to scare easily. I shivered, suddenly feeling terribly cold.

"Aravis? What's wrong, honey?" My mom called. I jumped in alarm.

"Nothing, Mom. I'm fine." I called hastily, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"You sure?"

"Why would I say I was fine if I wasn't?" I called harshly, alarmed at my own vehemence. A pause from below, and a barely audible sigh.

"Okay, hun. Dinner's in the fridge if you want it." I felt guilty as I heard her shuffle her way to her room, and the door close quietly. I pressed a hand to my eyes. I think I understood now why I was so freaked out.

Those eyes…

They were the most brilliant green I had ever seen. Like emeralds.

And they were cat-like, like a stalker approaching prey.

Somehow, I thought those eyes would come for me.

* * *

Three days passed, and nothing happened. I told myself that I had just seen things, that I was just jumpy.

I couldn't convince myself, though.

Whoever owned those eyes haunted me wherever I went. When I went to Market Street, I always felt that the eyes were on me. I couldn't even go near the woods anymore. I couldn't remember being this frightened before; EVER. How could a pair of eyes scare me so badly?

"Honey, what do you think?" I jumped, and looked back at my mom in confusion.

"What?" My mom sighed patiently, and held up a pair of blue pants.

"What do you think?" I examined them, and nodded approvingly. I had been spending a lot of time with her recently. I was too freaked out of being by myself for too long.

_Chicken_, my mind tormented me. My mom was delighted, needless to say.

* * *

I couldn't do this anymore.

I sat up in bed, and opened my window. I had to see if the eyes were there. If they weren't, I could convince myself that I was just crazy. I could live with that. I vaulted myself out nimbly, and hopped down from my roof, slipping my jacket over my shoulders. I ran all the way to the hole in the wall. When I reached it, I froze. I found it hard to breathe again.

_Stop it_! I told myself. _You aren't a chicken, now go in there_! Taking a deep breath, I stooped down, and crawled through the hole. The familiar sounds and smells of the forest were there. Nothing out of the ordinary. I let out a loud sigh of relief. _You'll have to go in further_, I scolded myself. Ordering my feet to move, I took one step, then another, until I wasn't forcing myself to move anymore. I walked through the forest, going back to the mansion. By this time, I was nearly laughing. _You imagined it_, I told myself gleefully. _There was nothing there, you're just crazy_-

"I didn't think you were coming back."

…Okay, I nearly lost it right there, to be honest.

I spun around, feeling the déjà-vu moment. This time, however, there was something there. A barely discernable shadow, a foot taller than I was, stood there. Its body was kind of long and lanky, like a kid who hadn't grown into its body yet. Of course, I knew immediately that this wasn't a kid. It simply stood there, watching me. I tried to speak, but no words came out. Finally, I managed to get something out-

"W-Who are you?" I cursed the stutter. The shadow tilted its head, like it didn't understand. We stayed in silence for what felt like an age, until the thing sighed.

"I wish I knew that myself." The voice was male, with a slight sarcastic drawl. The tone he spoke with was regretful. I didn't understand what he meant. How could he not know who he was? I waited for him to say more, but he stayed silent. So I decided to take the lead again.

"Do you have a name, at least?" Another pause.

"I…don't know."

_Okay, this is getting ridiculous_, I thought, exasperated.

"You have to have a name!"

"Oh? Do you have one, O enlightened one?" He asked, his drawl coming out more clearly now. Annoyed, I simply scoffed.

"Obviously."

"Then tell me." He dared. Now, I still don't know to this day what made me open my fat mouth, but I figured now that, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have seen him again.

"Aravis."

"Aravis…unusual name." He commented. I snorted.

"Says no name over here." I retorted. He chuckled, and shook his head. To my eternal embarrassment, I started blushing. I thanked whatever forces up there that it was dark. I didn't want this random stranger to see me blush. I cleared my throat.

"Look, not that I don't love midnight encounters with strangers, but I really have to get going, so if you don't mind-" I started walking away. I was almost past him when he snatched my wrist and pulled me back. I nearly stumbled with the sudden jerk, but managed to steady myself. He was surprisingly warm; I could feel it through his gloved hand.

"I do mind, actually." I turned to glare at the guy, but I couldn't help but stare;

His hood (I realized now that he had been wearing a full body cloak) had fallen away from his face, revealing his bright green eyes.

Oh…my…

"What?" He asked suspiciously. I realized that I had been staring at him incredulously, so I immediately looked away.

"You're the one from the other night."

_Wow. You are so lame it's not even funny. Of course it's him, you dumbass._

"You just figure that out now?" He asked, clearly mocking me.

"You don't have to be a bastard about it." I snapped. He paused, and then started laughing. And I don't mean a few chuckles, I mean he was practically rolling on the ground, laughing. A patch of moonlight fell through the trees, and I saw his face clearly for the first time;

Spiky, fire red hair flamed around his head. Below his emerald eyes were small, upside down triangles. He wasn't pale, but not overly tanned, either. Covering his body was before mentioned cloak, with two silver ties hanging down from it. He straightened up, and frowned.

"What?" This time, it was me asking the question. He put his other hand to his chest, where his heart was.

"I felt something."

"You mean your heart? Yeah, everyone has one, buddy." I said somewhat sarcastically. He turned to me, looking confused.

"A heart?" I just stared; was this guy mentally retarded? I rolled my eyes, and pulled back the sleeve on his coat, finding his wrist. I only realized later that it was pretty daring of me to touch this guy when I barely knew him. Placing two fingers where his pulse would be, I started saying very slowly;

"You see, everyone who is alive has…a…heartbeat." I stopped, trying to calm myself. I took a deep breath, and removed my fingers, then placed them back where his pulse was.

There was none.

_Don't panic_, I told myself. _Do not panic. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this._

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking down at me. He looked a little bemused, but he seemed willing to put up with my game. Only, it wasn't a game. Not anymore. This guy…

He didn't have a heart.

"Where's your heart? I can't feel your pulse anywhere." He frowned, and without warning, yanked my wrist closer to him, and he did the same thing that I did to him; two fingers on my wrist. My heart was pounding really hard by this time, so he obviously felt it. His eyes widened, and he backed up, releasing my arm. The heat I felt from him vanished, the sudden cold startling me. He was staring at me incredulously. I bolted by this time; it was way too much for me to handle. Someone without a heart? How could he be standing there, seemingly perfectly alive, when his heart wasn't beating? How was this possible?

* * *

Okay, maybe my mom isn't as stupid as I made her seem. I went to work in the morning, and by the time I came back, it was evening, and my mom was waiting. And let me tell you, she was _mad._

"You left the house at two in the morning! Where in the world did you go?!" She demanded, nearly in hysterics. I sighed, and pushed my hair away from my face.

"Just a walk."

"A walk? A WALK?! AT TWO IN THE MORNING?!" She shrieked. I simply nodded. I couldn't tell her what happened. She wouldn't believe me, first of all. Secondly, I almost didn't believe it myself. I couldn't get his burning green eyes out of my mind, so it convinced me that it wasn't some crazy dream.

I had to see him again.

"ARAVIS DENALI SANDERS! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" Ooh, she used my full name. She even put enunciations on the first syllables. Not good, by any accounts.

"Mom, you don't need to freak out this badly. I'm not going to abandon you like Dad did." I shot at her, knowing that was her weak point. She faltered, clearly caught off guard.

"That's not fair. I don't think-"

"Yes you do. You think that one day I'm going to decide that I don't like this place anymore, and then I'll vanish, to never return." My anger sparked; I wasn't going to leave without telling her. I'm not that heartless. Not like my _wonderful_ Daddy. "I'm not Dad, Mom! Stop thinking that!" My mom sighed, and covered her eyes with one hand. The guilt returned, but I squashed it down.

"Honey…I'm sorry." She left for her room without another word. I looked down, fighting my instincts to go to her. I was angry at her for treating me like I was some frantic puppy straining against a leash, going to bolt the second she loosened it. I walked out the door, to the twilight. I walked through the many alleys of town, until I met a dead end. I turned back around, only to be slammed against the wall. I gasped, and started struggling, hitting and kicking out. I managed to get a few blows before a voice made me stop.

"Hey, it's ME!" I looked up, and sure enough, No Name was there. He was staring down at me, curiosity burning in his cat-like eyes. I swallowed, trying to breathe.

_Why is it that I'm always flustered around this guy?!_ I thought, annoyed. He let me go when he realized I wasn't going to fight anymore. However, he didn't move away, so I was trapped between the wall and his body.

"I met some people that explained a bit about me." He said calmly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And I should care because?" I crossed my arms. Truth was I really did care. A lot. I was just a little freaked right now, and a little distracted, so my first words came out harsh. Hurt flashed across his face before falling behind his emotionless mask.

"I thought you would want to know. You found me, after all." Okay, that I didn't get. I just turned around and he was there. How does that classify as finding someone? I asked him that, and he chuckled. I liked his laugh; it was carefree, and very…dare I say it? Sexy?

"Well…I guess you're right. I found you." He moved closer, until he was looking directly into my eyes. His eyes almost sparkled when they looked at mine. My stupid face betrayed me and blushed. He actually looked astonished.

"What just happened?" He asked. He didn't know what blushing was? Weird… My face turned redder.

"Um…I blushed?" I offered, feeling stupid. He lifted a hand up to my face and stroked it gently. There wasn't a shade of red known to man that had been discovered yet that described my face. He chuckled, and moved away, making me feel both relieved and disappointed. I decided to change the subject, _fast._

"So, did these mysterious people manage to get a name from you?" He smirked, and nodded. "Well?" I prodded, curious despite not wanting to be. His smirk widened, and he placed a hand on the wall beside me, leaning in close again.

"My name's Axel. Got it memorized?"


	2. Chasers and Changes

**Disclaimer! This is a bunch of stuff that you guys probably don't read but I put it up her because you SHOULD read it. This shit's important.**

**I own absolutely nothing in this story! Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix!**

**Also I did not write this story. It was originally written by an author on Quizilla, so all credit goes to them.**

* * *

_Axel…_

I waved to my boss, signaling that I was leaving. She nodded, harried. A lot of letters had come in today, and she was frazzled. Thankfully my shift was over, so I could go home and think about the mysterious man who had changed my life forever. After that first day, I spent every amount of free time I could get in the woods, talking with him more. He seemed happy whenever I came, but there was always the moment when I first came, when he hadn't seen me yet. He would be leaning against a tree, his head tilted back with a strange expression on his face. It was a mix of confusion, fear, and…anger? I saw that last expression clearly, although he had explained that while he could _show_ emotions, he couldn't really feel them. I couldn't help but feel fascinated; here he was, a new Nobody (he also explained that to me; his new friends told him all about these Nobodies, how they were strong enough when they were whole that, when they were killed by creatures called Heartless, a shell of themselves was left behind in the form of a human instead of just a silvery shell that could only obey. Axel said that he could control these "lesser Nobodies". The hearts they once had were gone, though, so they couldn't feel any emotions) in the Twilight Town woods, and he couldn't feel anything.

_Yes, he'd be leaning against the tree now_, I figured.

I got home, tossed my bag in my room, and then headed downstairs. I made dinner, stuck it in the oven, then waited for my mom to come home. I would have gone straight to the woods, but I noticed that my mom had started watching me closely. I told Axel that I couldn't visit him as often, but made time to go and find him. I was glad it was summer; else I would have had to do homework. Not that it was hard; homework is easy. But it's boring, so half the time I don't do it until the next morning. I was already done my independent study, so I didn't have to worry about it. I called it "A Gate Not Always Locked." Pretty much, it was all about the mansion in the woods, its history, the rumors surrounding it, etc. My mom came in the door sighing, but brightening when she saw me.

"Hey, darling! How are you?" She asked, pecking me on the cheek.

"Fine. Dinner's in the oven." I said idly, twirling a strand of my hair. She smiled gratefully and chatted about her day. I nodded at the right times, still thinking of my green-eyed friend. I glanced at the calendar on the wall, noticing something.

"The day we first came to Twilight Town's coming up. This will be the eleventh anniversary." A glass shattered. I jumped, and looked up at my mom in alarm. She stood frozen, a look of shock and horror on her face.

"Mom-?"

"Honey, go upstairs for a bit. I need to clean this up." Her voice, usually cheerful, was flat and monotone. I stood, moving to her side. Her hands were shaking as she knelt down.

"Mom-"

"GO!" I flinched, and backed up hastily. As far as I can remember, she had never once yelled at me. I stood there for a few moments before heading for the stairs. Once in my room, I sat on my bed, confused.

_What was wrong with my mom?_

Running a hand through my now greasy hair, I decided to go take a shower. Grabbing a towel, I locked the door, and turned on the hot water. Questions ran through my mind as the water pounded on my head. As I turned the water off, I swore I heard a sob from below.

"Mom?" I called as I wrapped the towel around me, and unlocked the door, stepping out.

Only, I didn't expect to see him sitting there. On my bed. Looking like a nonchalant god.

"AXEL?!" I squawked, hugging the towel closer to my body. He looked just as surprised, before his gaze flicked up and down. My face turned a dark shade of red. "What are you doing here?!" I demanded, lowering my voice. He shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back on my bed.

"I was bored. I came to see you." A smirk graced his face. "Although I gotta admit, I didn't expect this sight." I scowled, feeling my face turn redder. I froze when I heard my mom come up the stairs.

"Honey? What's wrong?" I grabbed Axel's hand, pulled him upright, and shoved him into my bathroom just as my mom opened the door.

"MOM!" I hollered. "A little privacy?!" She slammed the door shut with hurried apologies. I heard Axel chuckling from the other side of the bathroom door. I made my way over to my closet, pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, slipped them on, and finally opened the door. My mom looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, hun. I just heard you scream, and I thought something was wrong…" She trailed off. I nodded, brushing my wet hair. My mom looked extremely uncomfortable, so I had to ask;

"So what was with the glass incident? You're not that clumsy, Mom." I said, half teasingly. She gave me a weak smile. She was about to say something, but then she closed her mouth.

"It's nothing, hun. I…I was just clumsy, is all." She stuttered. My mom doesn't stutter. I narrowed my eyes, letting her know that I didn't believe her. She turned away before I could call her on it. I shut the door a little angrily.

"Jeez, I know you said you two didn't always get along, but that was just uncomfortable." I turned wearily to Axel, who was leaning against a wall. I knew he wasn't going to leave no matter what I said, so I decided just to drop the matter altogether. I plopped on my bed, closing my eyes.

"I don't know why she tries to hide things from me. I can see through her so clearly." I remembered to keep my voice low, in case Mom overheard. The bed creaked as Axel sat next to me. He folded his hands behind his head, and leaned against the wall again.

"Maybe she's just trying to protect you." I looked at him in surprise; Axel hadn't really seemed all that interested in my family life, and now he was speaking as though he had known us forever.

"From what, though?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling. He shrugged.

_So much for his wisdom_, I thought. We talked for a bit more, until the chat died away and we sat (or in my case lay) in a comfortable silence. Until Axel turned to me, a weird look in his eyes.

"I don't want to wait every day to see you." I raised an eyebrow. Lord, Axel is confusing sometimes. I mean, one minute he's teasing me, the next he's so serious that you'd think his life is on the line.

"What do you mean?" He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"All I do is sit in the woods every day, bored out of my mind. You only come for a couple hours, and then you go, leaving me to sleep all alone in misery." Part of him was serious, but at the last comment, his eyes shone mischievously. I shoved him half-heartedly.

"Don't flatter yourself, Axel, you're not _that_ gorgeous." I said. He chuckled, and started leaning closer to me.

"So I _am _somewhat gorgeous?" He asked. I scoffed and looked away. He grinned.

"Come on, I want an answer!"

"Well, if you mean arrogant, perverted and rude, then yes, you are utterly gorgeous." I smirked as he pretended to pull a knife out of his heart. I got an idea, and pulled him to his feet.

"Where we going?" He asked, his eyes glinting at the thought of adventure.

"Meet me at the Station."

* * *

"Wow."

That's all Axel said as he gazed out at Twilight Town. I smiled, dangling my legs over the Station Tower, biting into my ice cream. Sea Salt was my favorite flavor. Salty, yet sweet at the same time. Axel had looked at me strangely when I handed the cool treat to him, but his eyes widened in surprise and delight when he took the first bite. After he finished, we stared out at the sunset, at the many buildings and the beach, far in the distance.

_I'll have to take him someday_, I thought, licking my lips to get the last of the salt. Axel turned to me, and brought up the issue from before. As he was talking, my eyes wandered to his, and I found myself being caught in his gaze. I didn't realize he stopped talking until he rapped me on the head with his knuckles. After playfully punching him, I sighed.

"So what do you suggest we do about it? I can't help that I work. Besides, I'm leaving Twilight Town soon." I shrugged. I had been putting off telling him, partly because I felt bad, partly because I was deciding on a date on when to leave. He paused, and his green eyes bored into mine.

"Leaving." He stated. I nodded nervously, not liking the look in his eyes. His eyes turned hard, and before I knew it, he was gone. I sat up, but he was nowhere in sight. An unpleasant feeling rose in my stomach. I felt as though I had betrayed him somehow. I hadn't meant to; hell, I'd probably take him with me, if he wanted to come. Somehow, though, I felt as though Axel really didn't like me. He just kept me around for his own amusement. This revelation hurt me so badly that I curled up into a ball, trying to hold the pain inside.

* * *

A week passed, and Axel hadn't returned. I went to the forest, calling for him, but he wasn't there, either. I felt so awful, and I couldn't begin to explain why. Plus, my mom had been acting weird. She stopped going to work, claiming that she needed a few weeks to rest. However, she did anything but rest whenever I was home. She scurried around, and I wasn't sure what she was doing. The day of the anniversary of the day we came to Twilight Town came, and when I came home, she was sitting so quietly that I thought she was asleep at first. However, once the door closed, she looked up, her eyes red. It was clear that she had been crying for quite some time.

"Aravis, please sit. I…we need to discuss some things." She said with difficulty. I sat down warily. For a few minutes, we sat in silence, until she took a shuddering breath.

"Honey…We came to Twilight Town on this day eleven years ago, when you were five." She started. I nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"Aravis, you are not my child." I froze.

"That isn't funny, Mom." I said sharply. Her eyes overflowed with tears.

"It's true. Your mother gave you to me before she died. She said…" She hiccupped, wiping her tears, and continued; "She said that she wanted me to look after you until you were sixteen. Then the Chasers would come for you." My breathing seemed to echo all around me, all other sound dulled. The pieces started to click together; why we didn't look alike, act alike…but I refused to believe it. I started shaking my head, but she nodded helplessly, the tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry. I meant to tell you sooner-"

"NO! Don't say a word to me!" I jumped up and ran, ignoring her sobs as she let me go. I ran out of the house, just as a huge rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. I ran to the forest just as the rain began to pour down, soaking me instantly. I looked up at the sky, rain pouring into my eyes, but I ignored the stinging. Nothing could compare to the pain that was making my heart tear in half. How could I not be her child? She was my mom, the one who put up with my crappy behavior, who still put little notes in my lunch whenever I was going through a bad day, who loved me so much that she'd cried her eyes out whenever I got a scratch. I turned to a tree and punched it, bruising my knuckles. I barely felt the throbbing pain as I continued punching the stupid thing, trying to convince myself that it was all some sick joke, that when I came home she'd be laughing and apologizing, then taking us both out for dinner and making it up to me somehow. My poor, crazy, scatterbrained mom…she wasn't mine.

"She's in here. I saw her run inside."

The voices were unfamiliar, and her words ran through my mind again;

"She said that she wanted me to look after you until you were sixteen. Then the Chasers would come for you." Who, or what, were Chasers? And why did they want me? I wasn't anybody important. I hid behind a cluster of trees, the smell of wet bark and grass comforting me. I heard footsteps moving through the wet ground, near me. As they moved past my hiding spot, I quickly slid around, and started moving towards the hole. I had almost made it when I heard them running towards me.

"Aravis, wait!" I panicked, and ran through, the rain making my eyes blurry. But Twilight Town was my home, and I knew it far too well. I avoided the Chasers, ignoring the calls of the people I had known all my life. But I was slowing down, and they knew it too. I stupidly ran left the second I saw an alley, and then skidded to a halt. Dead end. I turned, but three people were standing there, blocking my way. They were all wearing armor, like knights out of a fairy tale. But I knew this was no fairy tale. One approached, taller than all the rest.

"You cannot run any longer. It is time to come with us." His voice was deep and dark. I backed up, scared. They all moved into the alley, clearly not afraid to use force if they needed to. My breathing became hyperventilated, and I felt dizzy. Was I going to die? Was I just going to die in this alley while they left? Or was it something more that they wanted…something I couldn't even begin to understand. As the tallest one reached out to me, I saw electricity crackle in his hands.

"_BURN_, BABY!"

I gasped as fire erupted around me, ensnaring me in the circle of flames. The cries of the Chasers echoed around the alley, the fire hissing as the rain hit it, but not dying down. The heat was so intense that I was staggering away from it. I felt fingers wrap around my wrist, and then I was being pulled away, through the fire, past the Chasers, out into the storm. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, blocking my ears. The lightning flashed and the thunder roared across the sky as we ran, until we were in another alley, and I was crushed against a wall, black obscuring my vision. I panted, my heart pounding so hard it was like a hammer against my chest. My rescuer looked at the entrance of the alley, and then turned to me. He was wearing a black cloak. He flipped the hood up, and Axel looked down at me, his hands on my shoulders.

"Did they hurt you?" He demanded softly. I could only stare. He shook me, my back slamming against the wall. "DID THEY HURT YOU?!" I shook my head, my entire body trembling. Then he was hugging me, his warmth warding off the chill I hadn't noticed.

"Axel, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you." I whispered. I was so unbelievably glad that he was back that I barely blushed from the fact that he was holding me tightly.

"That doesn't matter now. We have to get you out of here." He gently took my wrist again, and pulled me even closer. He held out his free hand in front of him. Before us, a swirling vortex of black and green opened up. I frowned, unsure. Sure, with Axel I had come to expect the unexpected, but portals were a bit much. He looked down at me, his eyes darting frantically behind us.

"Do you trust me?" He demanded. I nodded; there wasn't any doubt in my mind. He led me towards the black, and I took a deep breath, waiting for the plunge. As soon as the dark swallowed me, it became very cold. It didn't help that I was completely soaked. I shivered, and then marveled at the sights around me.

"What is this place?" I asked in awe. Axel continued leading me through this world of blue. All around us there were these strange symbols, floating all around us, even below our feet. Some were faster, some were slower. I felt as though I could reach out and touch them, but then I realized that this was just an illusion; they seemed close, but they were really farther away.

"They call it Betwixt and Between. It's the path we use whenever we make a portal to go someplace else." He explained, finally letting me go. When he saw I was shivering, though, he suddenly pulled me right against his chest.

"Wha-" Warmth flowed down as Axel slid his hands down my arms. I was steaming, and I realized that he was drying my clothes. When I was almost fully dry, I pulled away, my face flushed from his warmth and the fact that he had been so close. I took a deep breath, and sat down, very tired. Axel stood over me, my green eyed protector. "You can't go back." He said softly. I nodded, already knowing. He knelt down to my level, trying to get me to look at him. When I refused, though, he lifted my chin up so he could look into my eyes.

"Will you come with me?" He asked.

"Where?"

"To the Organization's world. You'd be safe there."

"The Organization? What's that?" My head felt fuzzy, like I hadn't eaten in days.

"They're the other Nobodies; the ones like me. I couldn't let them see you, obviously, but if you stayed away from the Castle, you'd be fine." His last words sounded frantic. I chuckled.

"That desperate for me, huh Axel?" I teased. He grinned, his eyes lighting up in a way that made me want to smile.

"Will you?" he asked again. I nodded, too tired to talk anymore. He lifted me up, and I leaned against him as we walked through Betwixt and Between.

"How did you find me?" I asked wearily.

"Hm?"

"I thought you left. How did you know I needed help?" We continued walking, but he didn't answer.

"I…I felt you. Heard you, in my mind. You were scared, and I knew that I couldn't stay away." He finally answered. I smiled, touched.

"You were the one who made the fire?" I remembered his joyful call, the flames hissing in the rain, yet still roaring with life.

"Yeah…" He said this warily.

"That's _awesome._" He smirked.

"I know." I pushed against him weakly, making him chuckle. As we neared the other side of Betwixt and Between, I sighed.

"I really am sorry, Axel. I didn't know that my leaving would hurt you. I thought you wouldn't care."

"Why the heck would you think that?" He asked, bemused.

"Because you're a cocky, arrogant bastard who can get under my skin too easily? And can handle leaving me?" _Yet I can't handle when he leaves me._ He laughed at that, shaking his head.

"You're the only friend I have, Aravis. I don't want to lose you." I didn't tell him, but when he told me that, my heart melted in my chest. But I knew we could never be. Axel was the first person I could really say that I liked more than a friend. As We got to know each other, I didn't feel so…empty. I could never explain it to my mom-I nearly winced- or Seifer or anyone, but deep down inside, there was always something missing, yet I could never found out what it was until I met him. When I was with him, he somehow filled that void in my heart. I think…I think I loved him. But he didn't have a heart, he couldn't understand my feelings. So I kept moving in silence, trying not to cry. We passed through the portal on the other side. I gasped;

This was a new place. An entire new world!

"Aravis, this is The World That Never Was." Axel said, gripping me tighter. I swallowed, and nodded. This world was dark, and it was drizzling lightly. What amazed me most was, not the technology, not the darkness, but the moon. It was shaped like a heart, and it seemed to hum with a dark aura. He led me to an abandoned house. At least, it looked abandoned on the outside. The inside was really nice, really warm. He sat me down in a room that had a bed, and told me to stay there.

"I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?" He asked. I nodded, feeling my eyelids droop. He patted my shoulder, grinned at me, and disappeared into a black portal. The second he was gone, I fell asleep. I dreamed of everything that had happened, and it replayed in my mind, over and over. The agony, the fear; it was too much. I woke up in a cold sweat, my hand on my pounding heart. I looked around, and sighed.

"What a mess."

* * *

**Alright then I need to address something.**

**I would still really appreciate reviews and follows for this story, it proves that I'm not just wasting my time posting it on here.**


	3. Blades, Songs, and Tears

**Disclaimer! This is a bunch of stuff that you guys probably don't read but I put it up her because you SHOULD read it. This shit's important.**

**I own absolutely nothing in this story! Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix!**

**Also I did not write this story. It was originally written by an author on Quizilla, so all credit goes to them.**

* * *

This place wasn't so bad once you got used to it.

Sure, it was dark all the time, it rained constantly, and half the time I was alone. I now knew what Axel went through whenever I had to leave him. But I found myself loving this dark world. I felt as though I had been there before. Of course, it was impossible. I had never been outside of Twilight Town. But this dark place, this was where I felt supreme. I couldn't go out often, though, since the Organization might find me. And according to Axel, that would be very, very bad. I had been here for about seven months now, Axel always off on missions that his Superior ordered him on. Whenever he came back, we would talk. I was always glad when he did; it was a little freaky to be alone in this place. I had to get used to it, though. A few months back, Axel had to go on a mission with several others of his Order. When he came back, he told me that they were all dead, except for him. I had felt so relieved. Since then, he's been with me more, keeping my company so I didn't die of boredom. I asked him to tell me more about him, and he complied. He told me more about the Organization and what he remembered before waking up in the Twilight Town woods. The last topic wasn't very informative, since he couldn't remember a lot of his past life. He always asked why I wanted to know, and I always replied with the same response;

"I just do." Not that I'd ever tell him, but Axel fascinated me. He was so cocky and arrogant, but there was a side of him that was the polar opposite; he didn't like people betraying him, he told me. I asked why, and he had shrugged. I supposed it was something that had passed on from his Somebody. I sat up eagerly when I heard the door open. Axel smiled at me. He was holding a long, thin package in his hands.

"What's that?" I moved closer, examining whatever it was. To my surprise, he handed it to me. I was surprised at the weight; it was a lot heavier than it looked. I tore off the wrapping around it, and gaped at the beautiful sword in my hands.

It was polished silver, the blade itself about six hands long, with an inscription curving up and around it. The writing was fluid and thin, in a language I couldn't read. The hilt was black, with the smallest of sapphires in the pummel. When I shifted the hilt, the sapphire dazzled a dozen different colors before settling back to blue.

"Where…did you find this?" I asked, running my hands along it, being careful not to cut my hands on the edges.

"It was in the armory. I thought you might like it."

"It's beautiful…thank you." Axel scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, muttering something indiscernible.

"What was that?" I asked idly. Axel rolled his eyes.

"I said that you should learn to fight." Fight? I blinked, the notion foreign to me. Sure, I'd seen a few Struggle battles and fought them myself, but I was a complete novice when it came to fighting with an actual weapon. However…I looked down at the sword again, the wonder of it making me feel powerful, before it faded away and I felt like a moron. I nodded to Axel, then looked down at his choice of weapon.

"But you fight with chakrams." I pointed out. When he'd first shown me how he could fight with those steel circles, I was shocked. He seemed so agile, so confident in himself, like a cat. He nodded, and his face lit up. He just had an idea, I could tell.

"I'll be right back." He promised, making a portal and disappearing. I spent the next ten minutes looking at the beautiful sword. I took the hilt in both my hands, raised it, and swung it down. I lifted it again, and swung it around me slowly, trying not to crash into anything or decapitate myself. A smile slowly lifted on my face as I started swinging faster, until I felt like I could actually win a fight.

"Aravis?"

I gasped and whirled around, nearly killing Axel.

"Axel! Don't do that!" I said, embarrassed. How long had he been standing there? After he shook his head and waved it off, I noticed that he wasn't alone. There was a boy much shorter than he was beside him, with spiky blond hair that seemed to have a mind of its own and the most brilliant blue eyes. Of course, they couldn't compare to Axel's. While the boy's were deep as the sea and kind, Axel's were cat-like, always watching, always mocking.

"Who's this?" I asked, setting the blade down. Axel pushed the little guy forward, sending him nearly stumbling into me.

"Aravis, this is Roxas. He's the newest member of the Organization. Lucky number thirteen." He explained. Roxas gave me a small, shy smile.

"Hey." Was all he said. I smiled back; this kid seemed nice.

"No need to be shy, Roxas. She isn't going to bite." Axel said, grinning. He looked at the kid like a younger brother. I grinned and winked.

"I might, actually." Roxas looked shocked, but when he saw I was teasing, he laughed. We laughed along with him. I loved their laughter; it was so carefree. When I managed to stop, I looked at Axel.

"So, is he going to teach me to fight?" Realization dawned on Roxas' face when he realized what his friend had wanted.

"If he agrees, then yes." Axel nodded. Roxas shrugged.

"Okay, why not?" I grinned; this was going to be interesting…

* * *

"Keep your eyes up!" Roxas reminded me as we clashed. I nodded, and attacked, blocking Roxas' blows as I slowly gained the advantage.

Axel was leaning against a wall, watching us with a smirk on his face. Roxas had been teaching me for quite some time now, and he praised me every day. I was pleased with my progress; the past two months, my speed and skill had improved, until I was almost as good as Roxas. There was that 'almost,' though. I vowed to one day beat him. However, Roxas did have the advantage of two weapons. 'Keyblades,' he told me they were called. They certainly had the look of keys. One was black with a chain running up the side, and the top of the blade ended like a key's did. There was a purple diamond near the top of the hilt. Said hilt had what looked like bat, or some other dark creatures', wings around it, with a black crown keychain hanging off it. Roxas called it Oblivion. The other Keyblade was the opposite of its dark companion; pure white, with a small heart curving with the blade near the top, where blue and purple spikes formed the key. The hilt had what looked like angel's wings around it, and a keychain that held a small white star. He called that one Oathkeeper.

I parried Roxas' blow, and shoved him back, advancing on him, my blade ready to strike. Whenever I fought fiercely, I felt the blade hum, as though it could feel my excitement as well. Roxas blocked my downward swing with Oathkeeper, and swung up with Oblivion. I was sent sprawling back. Rolling out of the way, I struck upward, knocking Oblivion out of his hands. Feeling victory, I swung my blade faster, forcing Roxas back as he tried to block my strikes. He finally backed up into a wall. His eyes widened as I knocked Oathkeeper out of his grip, and lifted my blade up to kiss his throat. He stood there, panting, looking amazed and impressed. I panted too, amazed that I had won at all. I lowered the blade, and stuck out my hand. He shook it, grinning.

"Good fight." I said. He nodded, and turned to Axel, who was suddenly standing beside us. I brushed away the hair that had fallen into my face. He was looking at me oddly.

"You fought well." He said, sounding guarded. I suddenly realized that I was completely covered in sweat, panting like a dog, and probably looked overall disgusting. I blushed, cursing the stupid bodily function. I turned back to Roxas, who looked at me curiously.

"Same time tomorrow?" I asked cheerfully. He nodded, still looking at me. _Why is it that Nobodies find blushing so fascinating?!_ I asked myself, trying not to blush harder. Axel was still looking at me strangely as walked back. The three of us had become so close during these past few months. I was glad, really.

Back home, I never had any close friends, but these two were the friends I never had. I could trust them with my secrets, and no doubt my life. Roxas and I chatted easily while Axel stayed silent, the strange look on his face. When we reached the house, I waved goodbye to Roxas, and held open the door for Axel. He, however, didn't budge.

"Superior wants us." He muttered to Roxas, and whirled around, stalking off. I looked after him, a little confused. Roxas looked a little surprised as well, but he shrugged when he saw my face.

"I wonder why he's acting so strange…" I said out loud, looking at Roxas. He simply shook his head. He waved, and ran after Axel. I looked after him, confused. I went inside, and found the bottle of sword polish Axel had gotten me just a few weeks ago. I found an old rag, and started scrubbing the blade, polishing it until it shone. Satisfied, I stuck the sword back in its sheath, (another gift from Axel) and looked around, realizing that I had nothing to do.

In my boredom, I usually cleaned the little house, but it was sparkling already. This was the first time in my life I'd ever had a clean house. I leaned back in my chair, when a strumming noise from outside made me freeze. Axel had told me that if I ever heard someone coming close, I should hide. That's exactly what I did. I grabbed my blade, quietly went into the back room, and opened the wide closet. I hopped inside (there wasn't anything in it) and closed the doors behind me. After a few moments of silence, I heard a loud crash. I flinched, and pressed my ear against the door.

"-the hell are you doing here?" It was Axel, and he sounded mad.

"L-listen, man, I was just checking t-t-t-to see if there was anything…" The new voice was somewhat punk-ish, but the new guy was so terrified that he sounded like a babbling idiot.

"So Superior's sending you to spy on me now?!" Something else smashed, and the new guy yelped.

"N-no! I-I just noticed that you've been c-c-coming here a lot! So…I decided to check it out. Only…"

"Only you made it painfully obvious that you were up to something." Axel snarled. I had never heard him sound so furious. The crashes became louder, and I realized that the two were now in the room. It was only a matter of time before they found me. Sure enough, someone crashed so hard against the closet that it rocked, making me fall out. I landed on someone, and scrambled to my feet, my hand on the hilt of my sword. The new guy gawked at me. He had a hairstyle that was a mix between a Mohawk and a mullet. It was dirty blonde, and he had sea-green eyes. He was long and lanky like Axel, but he seemed much more awkward than Axel's effortless grace. In his hands was an instrument that looked a little like a guitar, but it had a lot more strings.

"I KNEW something was up!" He exclaimed. "You've got a secret girlfriend!" I felt myself flush at the comment. Axel sighed, sounding frustrated.

"She's not my girlfriend, you idiot. She's a friend, and I obviously can't just strut up to the Superior and introduce the two." He said scathingly to the cowering mess on the ground. He finally stood, revealing that he was really tall, but not as tall as Axel. He held up his hands.

"Look, I'm not going to rat you out, man. I just wanted to see what you were up to."

"Damn straight you won't rat me out. Otherwise you'll wish you were never born." He said dangerously. I turned to see him glowering. Axel was scary when he was mad.

"Well, technically I was never _born_, since I…you know what, never mind." He stopped talking when Axel's dark gaze became darker. He turned back, and gave me a cheesy grin.

"Can I at least have her name?"

"I can speak for myself." He jumped when I spoke. "I'm not mute or deaf, you know." I informed him. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"This is number nine of the Organization. Demyx." Axel told me. He sounded as though he was forcing the words out.

"I'm Aravis." I said, sticking out my hand. Demyx took it awkwardly. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not going to eat you." I said, amused. He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry…It's just…well…I thought… Any girl that hangs out with Axel was bound to be scary." He said this in a rush.

"And?" I prodded.

"Well…you're not. Well, not as much as he is." He said, pointing behind me to Axel.

"Whatever, you've seen her. Now get out." Axel ordered. Demyx crept past Axel, and then turned around.

"Can I hang out here? I mean, not all the time, but sometimes, maybe if I have nothing to do-"

"Get out." Axel said stonily. I hid a smirk as Demyx scurried away, tail between his legs.

"How that wimp ever got in the Organization is beyond me." He grumbled. He turned to me, and looked as though he wanted to say something. I turned and righted the closet, which was tipped to the side.

"Every day an adventure, huh Axel?" I asked, chuckling as I set the thing straight. I could practically feel him roll his eyes. I turned around to discover that he was barely two inches away from me. I jumped, nearly knocking the closet over again.

"How do you do that?!" I demanded. He smirked, and I knew he wasn't going to tell me. He moved away, and I fell on the bed, covering my face with my hands. It was to hide the blush that was crawling up my face.

* * *

Demyx came and visited me often, as well as Roxas. The two never came together, but each of their company was welcome. Demyx was a musician, playing his sitar. He was currently working on a song.

"I've got the first few lines, but my chorus is all wrong." He moaned to me one day.

"Play it for me?" I asked. He looked up, surprised.

"Well, it's not all that great…and it's not done…" He trailed off when he saw the look I gave him. He strummed the sitar, and then started playing. It was a catchy tune, and after a few bars of playing, he started singing softly;

"I am a question to the world,

not an answer to be heard,

or a moment that's held in your arms.

And what, do you think you'd ever say

I won't listen anyway

You don't know me,

And I'll never be want you want me to be.

And what, do you think you'd understand

I'm a boy, no, I'm a man,

You can't take me, and throw me away.

And how, can you learn what's never shown,

Yet you stand here on your own

They don't know me,

Cause I'm not here…"

Demyx stopped, and looked at me expectantly. I frowned, humming the tune.

"And I want a moment to be real,

Want to touch things I don't feel,

Want to hold on, and feel I belong.

And how can the world want me to change?

They're the ones that stay the same.

They don't know me,

Cause I'm not here…"

I wasn't sure where the words came from, but when I stopped, I realized that they sounded right.

_It was a song that depicted what a Nobody went through_, I realized. Demyx's eyes widened, and nodded, strumming out a tune. Between the two of us, we made more verses, until the rest of the song went like this;

"And you see the things they never see All you wanted - I could be Now you know me And I'm not afraid And I want to tell you who I am Can you help me be a man? They can't break me As long as I know who I am

And I want a moment to be real,

Want to touch things I don't feel,

Want to hold on, and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change They're the ones that stay the same They can't see me But I'm still here They can't tell me who to be 'Cause I'm not what they see Yeah, the world is still sleepin' while I keep on dreaming for me And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe And I want a moment to be real,

Want to touch things I don't feel

Want to hold on, and feel I belong,

And how can you say I'll never change They're the ones that stay the same I'm the one now 'Cause I'm still here I'm the one 'Cause I'm still here I'm still here I'm still here I'm still here…"

I took a deep breath as Demyx stopped playing. We stared at each other, small grins on our faces.

"Wow," Demyx said in amazement. After going through the song a few more times, he left, grinning like a maniac. I leaned back, covering my eyes with my hands, amazed at how much the song made me want to cry. I think I finally understood what they were going through. The worlds go on around them, with people living their lives, happily ignorant of the fact that there were others who never felt the joys they felt; the delightful flutter in the stomach when someone they cared for glanced their way; delight that they accomplished something; sadness whenever a loved one left them. How awful…how could they even get up in the morning, knowing that all they would have was the dull absence of a heart? The tears trickled through my fingers. I wiped my eyes, and sat up to see Axel gazing intently at me.

"Axel!" I exclaimed, blushing. "How long have you been standing there?" I demanded, embarrassed.

_Why can't he make a noise or something to let me know he's there?! Then I wouldn't let myself look so weak._ He didn't answer me, but walked up to me, and knelt down beside me, his expression a little concerned. I hoped that I was out of tears, but a tear slipped out of my eye, betraying me. I lifted my hand up to wipe it away, but Axel beat me to it. His gloved hand wiped the tear away, and kept his hand on my face, staring in my eyes. I couldn't think of a single thing to say. I tried to remember how to breathe, but the task seemed beyond me at the moment. His hand slowly trailed down my face, the heat from his hand leaving a line of fire on my cheek. When he finally let his hand fall away, I could only stare, mesmerized. It was so easy for him to put a spell on me, leaving me breathless and confused when he finally released me. Or that's how it seemed.

"I…I don't want you to be sad." He murmured, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I'm not…now that you're here." I said, looking down. It became very hard to swallow. His gloved finger lifted my chin up until his eyes caught mine, and once again, I was caught in his cat-like eyes. They were so beautiful, they practically sparkled. I could have stared into them forever. A small smile lifted one corner of his lips.

"I'm glad."


	4. A Final Farewell

**Disclaimer! This is a bunch of stuff that you guys probably don't read but I put it up here because you SHOULD read it. This shit's important.**

**I own absolutely nothing in this story! Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix!**

**Also I did not write this story. It was originally written by an author on Quizilla, so all credit goes to them.**

* * *

Axel never brought up the time he saw me cry, and I was a little glad for it. I hated crying; it never helped anything, and it made me feel foolish. But when he came to see me, or glanced my way, I felt as though I was falling, falling into a sea of emeralds. Weeks after the incident and I still felt like I was drowning. But I had other things to worry about now.

Something was wrong with Roxas; he never came anymore, and whenever I did see him, he was angry. Axel was worried about his best friend, and so was I. The only explanation that Axel would give me was that Roxas wanted to discover why the Keyblade had chosen him. One day, out of impatience, I grabbed my sword, left the house and ran through the streets, trying to find the two. I knew Axel would be furious (or, at least show he was furious) with me, but I didn't care. As I skidded around a street, I heard Axel;

"-can't turn on the Organization!" He was facing Roxas' back. Roxas was standing there, waiting for his friend to continue.

"You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!" Axel exclaimed angrily. Roxas half-turned to him.

"No one would miss me." His tone was flat and monotone. He started walking away, leaving Axel behind. I felt so awful; how could Roxas think that?

"That's not true!" Axel said, clenching his fists. "I would…Aravis would." His shoulders slumped as he looked dejectedly at the ground. I watched as he made a portal and disappeared. I ran after Roxas, catching up.

"Axel, nothing you say is going to change my-" He whirled around, and stopped talking when he saw it was me. He looked away angrily.

"Did he send you?"

_He must mean Axel_, I mused. I shook my head, looking at him sadly. He finally turned and faced me, looking upset. He sighed, and ran a hand through his golden spikes.

"I have to do this." He said it almost pleadingly.

"I understand." I said softly. Just as he was about to reply, silvery shadows surrounded us. I realized with a shock that these were lesser Nobodies. Roxas tensed, ready to fight.

"I guess the others don't want me to leave." He said through gritted teeth. I slid my blade out of my sheath, the sapphire flashing a plethora of colors. I held it in front of me.

"Go, Roxas. I'll hold them here." I flew at the Nobodies, slicing through silvery flesh. The one I killed faded away while the others sidled away, trying to get to Roxas. I leaped in their path and whipped around, slicing through two Dusks as they tried to swerve around me. Roxas turned and ran as I weaved and cut through the silver throng of Nobodies. These Nobodies were fast, but the Organization members were faster and stronger. Since I had fought with Roxas, I could easily dodge the Nobodies' attacks. When they all faded away into darkness, I turned and ran after Roxas, cutting through any Nobodies that stood in my way. I ran around a towering skyscraper, and stopped.

Roxas was fighting with someone. Someone in a black cloak. This new person was taller than Roxas, had long silver hair that seemed to float down his back, and, strangely, a blindfold around his eyes. I could tell immediately that this wasn't an Organization member. If it had been, they would have taken Roxas by now. Then again, Roxas was very powerful. For some reason the other boy had Oblivion as a weapon. Despite his inability to see, he fought with ease, striking and blocking Roxas' blows. Roxas, however, had the advantage, and he knocked Oblivion out of the mysterious boy's grip, and the taller boy was flung to the ground. The boy looked up at him.

"Why? Why do you have the Keyblade?!" He demanded. Roxas hesitated, looking at Oathkeeper.

"Shut up!" He swung violently at the boy, who grabbed Oblivion and struck Roxas, sending him flying. I ran towards him, wanting to help him. Two strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back, a gloved hand clapping over my mouth. I struggled, elbowing and scratching as Axel dragged me back into an alley.

"We can't help him now! You'll just be killed if you interfere." He hissed, trying to get me to stop, but I continued struggling mightily, until I finally collapsed in tears. We watched as the young man talked to Roxas for a while, and then let out this agonized scream that sent chills up my spine. His body was surrounded by a swirling vortex of darkness, kind of like the portals the Organization used to get around, only this was much bigger. Roxas readied himself, gripping Oathkeeper and Oblivion, for whatever it was that was coming out. When the darkness died down, an entirely new person was there, with a grotesque dark creature out of its back. This man had darkly tanned skin, and long silver/grey hair. His orange eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness of the town. He suddenly disappeared, making Roxas gasp. The man appeared right in front of him, the dark creature grabbing Roxas. Roxas cried out, struggling to get out of the creature's grip as it lifted him upwards. Axel had to use all of his strength to keep me back. Soon, Roxas lost consciousness, and Oathkeeper and Oblivion fell from his hands. My nails dug into my palms, blood dripping down my hands as the two Keyblades disappeared.

"The power of darkness." The man said. He sounded as though he regretted what he did. Axel took one of my bleeding hands and led me through a dark portal. I barely noticed. When we got back to the house, Axel sat me down, and tried to get me to talk. I refused to say a word, tears slipping down my face as I thought of Roxas. Somehow, I knew he was gone. Not dead, but taken. Axel finally placed his hands on my shoulders, looking at me straight in the face.

"We _will_ get Roxas back, Aravis." He said fiercely, his hands clenching my shoulders.

"You left him there." I said flatly. Axel's grip tightened and pain shot through my shoulders.

"You think I don't regret it?" He hissed, his eyes boring into mine. I could feel the fire that was coming off him. "That was one of the hardest things I ever had to do." I realized that Axel, in his own way, was just as upset as I was.

"I swear, we will get him back." Axel promised. I nodded, anger filling me with power. Before he left, though, I had a sudden thought;

If losing Roxas, his best friend, wasn't the hardest thing Axel ever had to do…what was?

* * *

"You remember the plan?"

"_Yes, _Axel. Stop asking me that."

I bit my lip, staring at the mansion. After Roxas was kidnapped, Axel had sent many lesser Nobodies out to search for any traces of him. They had come back, and Axel said they had a lead. We followed the Nobodies, and to my great surprise, we were led back to Twilight Town, through the woods, straight to the old mansion. Axel and I made plans; he would create a distraction that would draw out the strange man who had kidnapped Roxas. I would move into the mansion, and find wherever they were keeping him. I would then signal to Axel that I had found him, and he would create a portal so we could both escape. It was completely foolproof, we'd agreed. But now that we were actually doing the plan, I was a little nervous. I swallowed nervously. Axel seemed to sense my fear, and he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You'll do fine. Go in, grab Roxas, get out. Simple as that."

"For _you,_ maybe. You're not the one who'll get killed by a psycho dark creature if you get caught." I muttered. Axel chuckled, then the hand tensed.

"It's time." He said quietly. I nodded.

"Axel. If something should go wrong…I want you to save Roxas first."

"Aravis-"

"Please? Just…get to him first, no matter what happens to me. That way, all three of us can go back, not just two." Axel paused, thinking this over. He finally nodded. I gasped when his lips grazed my cheek.

"For luck." He whispered, and then he was gone. I became so dizzy that I nearly fell over.

_Axel…he kissed me_, I thought dazedly, putting a hand to my cheek. A ridiculous smile plastered itself on my face before a large sound broke me out of my reverie. Lesser Nobodies began attacking, making a huge distraction. They smashed against the gate, danced around, and generally made a lot of noise. I waited for the signal. Sure enough, after a few minutes of attacking Nobodies, a dark portal appeared, and the strange man came out, holding a black blade. He went into the forest, attacking the Nobodies. I ran through the open gate, and slammed the doors open, closing them behind me. I had my hand on the hilt of my sword, so if someone did take me by surprise, I could give them a surprise of my own. The room was bare, with barely any signs of life at all. I quickly checked the two rooms on the first floor, with no luck. Roxas wasn't there. I raced up the stairs, heading to the right. As I opened the door, I grinned.

"Bingo." I whispered. There were stairs that led down to a mysterious basement. I ran down the stairs, jumping the last few, and ran around the corner. I slowly went through the door, pulling out my sword in caution. In front of me was a computer, and beside that computer was a strange machine. I didn't like the look of that machine at all, so I steered clear of it. I went over to the computer, remembering the things Pence had told me about computers in school. The kid was a genius around anything technological. The user was already logged in, so it wasn't a problem to search through the files. After trawling through many useless files, (there were many 'Ansem Reports,' whatever the hell those were. They looked like some kind of sob story, so I clicked out of it) I finally found something that sparked my interest; it appeared to be some kind of restoration program. I tapped a few keys, and a picture came up. It was a digital picture of a boy, sleeping. I frowned; were they trying to help a boy? I never found out, since the back of my shirt was grabbed and I slammed against a wall. I promptly bit down on my attacker and elbowed them in the face. A man in red clothing with red bandages around his face backed off, snarling. I swung my sword around, making him back off. I held my blade up to his throat.

"Where's Roxas?" I growled. The one eye that peeked through the bandages widened, then narrowed.

"How do you know about him? And where did you get that blade?" He asked. His voice was rich, like a professor's.

"No, I'm the one with the sword. _I_ ask the questions. Where is Roxas?" The man smiled, and began laughing. I stared at him, confused. Two hands wrapped around my throat. I gasped as my air was cut off. My sword clattered at my feet as I tried to loosen the death grip around my neck. Just when I thought I was going to die from suffocation, I was thrown unceremoniously at the machine I avoided before. I saw black spots in front of my eyes, and my reactions were sluggish. The man in red and my assailant stared down at me. The man in red turned to the computer.

"Roxas could always use a companion."

"Isn't that dangerous?" The cloaked man asked.

"Not if she doesn't have any memories." The machine whirred above me. I gasped as a beam of blue was forming above me. I started mumbling the most important thing in the world to me. I said it over and over, until the beam fell on me, and I was lost.

* * *

DiZ stared thoughtfully as the girl disappeared into the virtual Twilight Town.

"What was she saying just now? Before she disappeared?" He asked the cloaked man. The man stared at the machine, not answering. DiZ waited for his silent companion to speak, checking his data again for any flaw.

"His name is Axel." DiZ looked up, confused. The man crossed his arms.

"That's the last thing she said. 'His name is Axel.'" DiZ frowned, eye narrowing. He turned back to the computer.

"Best delete most of her memories. We don't want any memory recall." The man didn't respond.

* * *

I woke with a start, then relaxed against my pillows. I looked at my window, where sunlight streamed in.

_Another day in Twilight Town_.

I sat up, pulled on some shorts and a black t-shirt, then walked out the door. The early morning breeze lifted my black hair off my shoulders and back before dying down.

"Aravis!"

I turned and smiled at Roxas, who was waving to me. I walked over to him, leaning against a wall. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a white jacket, and beige pants. Two rings, black and white, settled on his left index and middle fingers. He wore a checkered wristband. It was strange; sometimes when I look at Roxas, I would see him in a black cloak. But when I blinked, his regular clothes were on.

"You're up early." I commented. He nodded, his forehead creasing.

"I didn't sleep well. I had some strange dreams." He said softly.

"Hmm…so what are you up to?" I asked, folding my hands behind my head. He shrugged. I couldn't help but smile; same old Roxas. He didn't really talk much, compared to his other friends. Olette and Hayner were definitely the talkers of the group of four. He saw my smile, and looked at me, confused. I shook my head, my hair falling over my shoulders.

"You want to hang out with us today?" He offered. It was generous of him, considering that I had only moved here recently. I was already talked about in town. I heard the rumors. Apparently, I was stunning, and other rumors; that I'd arrived on the Ghost Train, I was a karate master, I had webbed toes, other such nonsense. That didn't really bother me, though. What really bothered me was the fact that, every time I turned a corner, I could swear I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. But whenever I turned around, there was nothing in sight. Roxas had teased me about it, asking if I had an invisible stalker. We had both laughed, but my feelings of unease didn't go away.

I nodded, and we headed to their usual hangout. It was in the back alley, near Market Street. Hayner, Pence and Olette greeted me cheerfully, and I sat next to Roxas on an old box. Hayner's chatter filled the room, but it simply washed over me. I was in my own thoughts, trying to understand why something red would be following me.

"Man, doesn't that tick you off?" I jumped, the comment startling me out of my reverie. Hayner was addressing Pence.

"Yeah, that's just wrong!" Pence agreed.

"Seifer's gone too far this time!" Olette exclaimed. The three of them looked towards Roxas and me, clearly expecting a response. I nodded quickly, and elbowed Roxas when he didn't respond. He started, and nodded as well. Hayner got up off the perch he was sitting on.

"I mean, it's true stuff's been stolen around town. And we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So, if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See, that's not what really bugs me." Hayner paused, crossed his arms. "What _really _bugs me is that he's goin' around telling everybody _we're_ the thieves. Now the entire town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club!" He turned to Roxas in his anger. "Have you ever been this ticked off in your life? Cause I haven't. Nuh uh, NEVER!" He exclaimed. I made a sympathetic noise; I'd heard the rumors as well. I didn't believe them, though. I knew that Roxas' gang weren't thieves. If anything, I'd expect Seifer to pull of that kind of stunt. Hayner clapped a fist into his open palm.

"Now…what to do?" He asked. I frowned, and pushed away the hair that had fallen into my face. Roxas sat there thinking, and finally spoke up.

"We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight." I nodded; it was a good idea.

"Hey, that sounds fun!" Pence said enthusiastically. Hayner crossed his arms.

"But what about Seifer?" He asked mulishly. I couldn't help but smirk; Hayner and Seifer's rivalry was practically famous in Twilight Town. Whenever the two came close to each other, there was guaranteed trouble. Roxas stood.

"First, we've gotta clear our names!" Roxas reasoned. "Once we find the real culprit, everyone will get off our backs." Olette turned to me, an easy smile on her face.

"Want to help us, Aravis?" I nodded. I hated seeing the four friends in trouble.

"Oh no! They're gone!" I looked over at Pence. He was looking at his camera. "Our - are gone!" I stared at Pence. What just happened?

"All our -, gone?" Hayner asked. His eyes widened, and his hands went to his throat.

"You can't say -! Why not?" Olette asked, panicked. My eyes narrowed.

"Something weird is going on here. The - were stolen…" I trailed off, shocked when I realized that I couldn't say the word.

"And not just the -. The word -! They stole it, too!" Roxas said. Hayner made a skeptical face.

"What kinda thief is that? Seifer could never have pulled that off." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, time for some recon!" Hayner declared. I followed Hayner out into the alley, up to Market Street. As I turned up, I _knew_ I saw red. So I turned around…

And saw someone in a black cloak watching me, flipping on their hood.

I froze, staring. The cloaked person gave me a cheery wave, then disappeared.

"Aravis, come on!" Pence called. I jumped, looking at him, then turning back to where I had seen this mystery person.

_Did they go to the woods?_ I thought, pondering. Whenever I went to the woods nowadays, there was always this strange feeling. Like I was being warded away. _I'll have to check it out later_, I concluded, walking next to Pence. As the other four walked around talking to the store owners, I stood a little farther away, thinking. Who could that person be? Do I know them? No…I definitely didn't know anyone wearing a black cloak.

'Now that just hurts, Aravis.' I jumped and whirled around. There was no one there. Well, except for Hayner, Pence, Olette and Roxas, who were staring at me strangely. I let out a nervous laugh, and tried really hard not to look like more of an idiot than I already did.

"C'mon, to the Sandlot!" Roxas said. I followed them, trying not to grimace. Seifer had this weird obsession of being close to me whenever I was around him. I sighed, and followed them.

'You don't really need to go with them, you know. You could always go to the woods…' The voice again! This time, however, I didn't turn around. The voice sighed.

'The thief might be there.' I nearly snorted.

_Right, and you'll be right there, too, waiting to do whatever the heck it is you want me for._

'Wow, you're good.'

"Aravis, why are you hanging out with a bunch of wimps like them?" Seifer's drawl made me come back to the present. His companions, Fuu and Rai, stood on either side of him like guards. Vivi, another one of Seifer's companions, stood off to the side. Vivi wasn't much of a fighter. Seifer glared at Roxas and Hayner.

"You can give us back the - now." Seifer had his blond hair covered by a black hat, wore a blue shirt under a sleeveless jacket that reached to his ankles, dark pants, and thick black boots. His arm muscles were toned, and his green eyes glared at all of them except for me. He smirked, then turned back to Roxas.

"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers."

_Lamers_? I thought, trying not to laugh.

"So what did you do? Burn it?" Seifer scoffed. "Not that we need some - to prove that you're losers."

"Replay!" Fuu said softly. Seifer laughed in delight.

"Now you're talking!" All three assumed a defensive stance, as did Hayner and Roxas. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

_A street brawl._ _This won't end well._

'Which is why you should go to the woods.'

"I guess if you get on your knees and beg, _maybe_ I'll let it slide." Seifer sneered. To my surprise, Roxas stood, and walked over to Seifer. Slowly, he went down on his knees. Seifer and his gang started laughing, but Roxas shot up and grabbed a Struggle bat. I smirked; I knew Roxas wouldn't give up without a fight.

'That's our Roxas.' I frowned.

_This person knew Roxas, too? This is just too weird._ Seifer pulled out his own Struggle bat, and the two started battling. Seifer was strong, but Roxas was fast. That was key in Struggle. Soon, Roxas managed to knock Seifer down. He fell on one knee, and scoffed. Rai and Fuu stood in front of him.

"Uh, Seifer's not feeling so hot, y'know?" Rai said.

"Tournament decides!" Fuu declared. Roxas turned as Pence took his picture, giving him the thumbs up.

I swear, whatever happened next, I wasn't sure.

Everything, to me at least, went in slow motion. A silvery creature came out of nowhere, and grabbed Pence's camera. It looked directly at me, and then everything went back to normal speed. It danced off, its body elongating and flipping as it went.

"What was that?" Hayner asked.

"The thief?" Olette asked. Without a word, the five of us took off, trying to get to the strange creature. Strange thing was, I thought I knew what those were, even though I had never seen them. As we neared the woods, it suddenly clicked;

_Nobody. That's called a Nobody. A Dusk._

But how could I know that?

I shrugged. I could find out later. Roxas and I entered the woods, ready to catch the strange thief.

'Finally…you're here.'


	5. Mysteries Unsolved

**Disclaimer! This is a bunch of stuff that you guys probably don't read but I put it up here because you SHOULD read it. This shit's important.**

**I own absolutely nothing in this story! Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix!**

**Also I did not write this story. It was originally written by an author on Quizilla, so all credit goes to them.**

* * *

I followed Roxas through the woods as we followed the Dusk. I wondered how I knew what that strange thing was called. I certainly had never seen one before. And who was this voice in my head? I nearly growled in frustration as we neared the mansion. Suddenly, it felt as though the air around me rippled. Like there had been a wave that passed right through me, yet it hadn't hurt or anything. I blinked, and watched as Roxas left without me. I called to him, but he didn't turn around.

"He can't hear you."

I jumped and turned around to see the cloaked person from before. The person shook their head.

"Honestly, Aravis, the plan wasn't that complicated. Get in, grab Roxas, get out. Of course, didn't really expect that old man and monster boy." The voice was male, and quite frankly, I didn't have a clue about what he was talking about. I stared at him incredulously. He sighed, and shook his head again.

"Maybe it'll help if you can see my face…" His hands lifted up to his hood, but before he could push it back, another cloaked person came, and shoved me back. I fell to the ground.

"Hey, what's the big-" I trailed off as I saw that neither cloaked person was there. "Idea." I finished lamely.

"Aravis!" I turned to Roxas, and crossed my arms.

"Why did you leave? I actually called for you, you know." I said. Roxas blinked down at me. In his hands were several photos.

_Wait! I just said 'photo'! The thief must be gone!_

"What are you talking about? I came here alone." I stared at Roxas strangely. What did he mean, alone? I was right there! I simply shook my head, he helped me to my feet, and we headed back for the Usual Spot.

* * *

"What's this?"

"I was his first customer after he took over the shop. So we took a picture together." We all stood over the photos Roxas had recovered. Sure enough, there he was, standing next to the man who owned the Armor shop.

"It's a really nice photo." Olette said cheerfully. Her eyes widened, and a hand went to her mouth.

"Hey, you just said 'photo'!" Pence said in amazement. I smiled and shook my head. Pence can really state the obvious sometimes.

"So Roxas, tell us about the picture thief." Hayner said. I glanced at Roxas, curious. Was the Dusk the thief? And why would a Nobody steal photographs? Roxas shook his head as he replied;

"Not much to say; the pictures were just lying there." I couldn't blame Roxas for lying. It's kind of hard to say the thief was a strange silvery creature.

"Then how do we prove we weren't the ones who took 'em?" Hayner asked crossly. Hayner sighed, and snickered with the next picture.

"It's a girl." He said, drawing out the last word teasingly.

"You look happy, Roxas." I said jokingly. He flushed a little.

"Do not."

"So, like, does anyone else notice that all the stolen pictures are of Roxas?" Pence asked. I raised my eyebrows as I looked them over. Sure enough, every picture was of Roxas; one with the woman who ran the candy shop; one of him lying on the ground next to Seifer; and another with the four of them posing in front of the mansion. I smiled, remembering taking the picture myself.

"Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something?" Pence asked. I nearly froze at that comment. Could it…be?

"C'mon, get serious! Why would anyone wanna steal a bonehead like Roxas?" Hayner asked.

"Oh, thanks!" Roxas said, before we all laughed. A train zoomed by overhead. I quickly excused myself, heading for home. I frowned, thinking of the strange cloaked person, wondering what his words meant. But the bigger question was this;

Why did I feel so disappointed when he was gone?

* * *

The next day I decided to go back to the woods to see if my stranger was still there. I was oddly excited, like I was seeing a friend I hadn't heard from in a while. As I neared the woods, I saw a large stick, about six hands long, leaning against a wall. Wondering how it got out here, I went over and picked it up. It was pretty heavy for a stick.

My eyes suddenly blurred, and I saw a beautiful blade in my hands. When I blinked, however, the image was gone. Frowning, I set the stick aside, and kept going. I saw Hayner come out of the Usual Spot, and run off to Market Street. Olette, Pence and Roxas soon followed. They all waved to me, so I went over. Olette and I chatted about a few things before finally meeting up with Hayner. He was looking at a Struggle Poster.

"Just two days to go." Hayner said, smirking. He turned to Roxas. "You and I have to make the finals! That way, no matter who wins, the four of us split the prize!" As much as I loved Struggle, I wasn't competing this year. I had decided to keep my munny saved up so I could leave Twilight Town in a few weeks. So far, I had nearly ten thousand munny. Call me weird, but I like my numbers even. Plus I didn't want to be poor when I went to get things that I really wanted.

"Okay, you're on!" Roxas said enthusiastically.

"You two are going to clean up!" Pence said.

"Go get 'em!" Olette encouraged. The two friends held up their forearms to each other.

"It's a promise!" Hayner said. Roxas nodded. Hayner turned to me, and asked if I wanted to go to the beach. I pursed my lips, thinking about it. It _was_ a lot of munny to buy a ticket…plus if I wanted to spend munny on food that would just decrease my hoard. Hayner talked about prices, and the four pooled their money.

"Well, I can't go to the beach. But I will help you guys raise some money, if you want." I offered. Hayner grinned and pumped his fist in the air, but Olette was quick to contradict him.

"You don't have to do that!" She glared daggers at Hayner when he tried to protest. He finally sighed, and rolled his eyes. The four ran off to raise money, and I folded my hands behind my head, wondering if I should go back home. Shrugging, I headed towards the Station Tower, where I gazed out at my town, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Whenever I thought about leaving-_really_ leaving, mind-I always felt this feeling that I couldn't come back. Like I wouldn't be able to see it again. Some time later, I saw Hayner and friends meet, and they pooled their munny. I smirked when I saw Hayner freak out about something. Roxas pocketed the munny, and Hayner, Pence, and Olette went up the stairs. Roxas started forward…only to be smacked in the back of the head with a stick. I watched in amazement as a cloaked person hauled Roxas roughly to his feet, and spoke to him. I blinked, and the man was gone. Was it the same guy who had talked to me in the woods? Or was it the one who had pushed me down? Shrugging, I hopped down from my perch, and went down to greet them. Strangely, Roxas had somehow lost the money they had raised. All five thousand of it…gone. I took pity on them, and bought them all Sea Salt ice cream. I bit into my own, and wandered off, wondering when Twilight Town got so interesting…

* * *

The next day was even weirder. I saw a strange young woman in a white dress speaking to Roxas, then just disappear. I think she sensed me watching her, because she turned around and smiled sadly at me. I ran after her, trying to get some answers. As I neared the woods, however, I hesitated. I know I saw her go in there…but what if those cloaked people were there? What did they want? I shook my head, and went through. I made it all the way to the mansion before another cloaked man met me. I think this was the one who pushed me.

"Why do you insist on coming here?" He demanded. His voice was dark, and somehow familiar.

"I want some answers." I replied evenly.

"You won't get them here. Go, and forget you ever saw anything." I felt a vein pulse in my head. I mean honestly, he says that and expects me to just walk away? Idiot.

"Is it so hard to answer a few questions?" I demanded. The man stared at me, and sighed.

"You weren't supposed to be here." I frowned at the statement. What did he mean, I wasn't supposed to be here? This was where I lived, where I grew up.

"Do you know anything of the Nobodies?" He suddenly asked.

"I know that Dusks are around, though I'm not sure how." I replied honestly. It was the only way that I would get answers. The man crossed his arms.

"What about Sora?"

"Who?" The man paused, as if unsure of my answer.

"Stay away from the other man in the cloak. He will harm you."

"But why does he keep saying that I need to see him?! I don't even know him, but he acts like he knows me! That doesn't make any sense!" I nearly yelled, trying to keep my temper under control.

"That I don't know. But he's bad news. Stay away from him."

"Oh, and why would she want to do that?" The now-familiar drawl made me turn around, to see said person.

_Still in a cloak, I see_, I thought, nearly rolling my eyes.

"Why bother going to him when I can easily tell you want you want to know?" He asked coyly.

"You'll tell me everything?" I asked warily. He chuckled, and shook his head.

"Man, it's like the first day we met all over again. You're still suspicious." I blinked.

"That was yesterday," I pointed out. He stopped, and sighed with frustration.

_You and me both, bro_, I thought tiredly.

"If you come with me, I'll tell you everything." He promised, holding out a hand to me. I looked back at the cloaked person behind me, and then sighed. I turned my back on him, and I walked towards the other cloaked man, starting to hold my own hand out. Somehow, I felt like I could trust him more than I could the other cloaked man. I could almost feel that he was smiling.

"Ansem, she must not leave with him!" A thundering voice echoed all around us. I flinched, then was grabbed around the middle by the other cloaked man.

"Let me go! I want to go with him!" I yelled, beating his arms. He took no notice, and flung his arm out to his side.

"You'll thank me for this later." He growled. A mass of darkness opened up beside us. My eyes widened, and I struggled even harder, holding out my hand to my drawling friend. He was advancing quickly, pulling out two strange, lethal looking steel circles.

_Chakrams…_

I was thrown unceremoniously into the portal, and my vision went dark.

* * *

I woke up with a start. I sat up bolt straight in bed, and looked around.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

I looked at my calendar, and realized that this was the day of the Struggle tournament. I debated on whether to go. I threw my feet over my bed, and stepped on something hard. I jumped, and looked down. It looked _exactly_ like the stick I had picked up the other day.

"You should protect him." My head shot up as I looked around. It was that thundering voice again.

"They will seek to destroy him, Aravis, and you along with him. Protect him." I could only assume that the voice meant Roxas.

"With a stick?" I asked sarcastically.

"Look again." I did so, and saw the beautiful sword that I thought was an illusion.

"Watch over him. And guard your heart well."

* * *

"Aravis! I thought you weren't going to show up!" Olette called, waving to me. I smiled uneasily, and walked towards her, leaning the stick against a wall.

"What's with the stick?" Pence asked, looking at it curiously.

"Long story." I grumbled, thinking uncharitable thoughts. I looked out at the crowd of people, and the four finalists. I wasn't surprised that Seifer had gotten into the finals; he was a finalist every year. But I was surprised that Vivi was there. No offense to the guy, but…well, he isn't a good fighter. Not at all. I was glad to see both Hayner and Roxas had made it into the finals. It seemed as though the two weren't speaking to each other, though. I asked Olette what was wrong, and she shrugged.

"Hayner saw Roxas with Seifer's gang yesterday. You know how Hayner is." I nodded, glancing at Roxas sympathetically.

_Poor kid, he looks really sad_, I thought. I felt a shiver run up my back, and I turned around instinctively. Nothing there. _I'm going completely insane_, I thought in disgust. Roxas jumped down off the stage, and came over to where we were standing.

"Good luck today, Roxas!" I said enthusiastically. Olette and Pence also cheered him on. He nodded, distracted.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" He whispered as Olette and Pence went over to Hayner. I nodded, a little confused, and we walked into an alley where we couldn't be overheard.

"What's up, Roxas?" I asked, leaning against a wall.

"I notice you keep looking behind you a lot. Like you think someone's watching you." I grimaced, trying to think of ways to get out of this. However, Roxas' next words stopped me.

"Is it someone in a black cloak?" I blinked, and nodded slowly.

"Do you see them, too?" I asked, excited that someone other than me knew what was going on. Before he could answer, the announcer called out for Roxas. It was time for his first match. He looked over at the announcer, then looked at me.

"Go win the match. We can talk later, okay?" I promised, just as eager to get down to the bottom of this mystery. He nodded, and ran out of the alley. I came out as well, and saw that Roxas would be Struggling against Hayner.

_Maybe they'll sort out their problems this way,_ I thought, hoping. The two friends talked for a moment, and I was glad to see they were both smiling while the announcer called out;

"Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend Hayner!" I cheered as he and Hayner fought. Roxas was very fast, able to get in a lot of blows and then duck out of the way. Hayner wasn't as fast as Roxas, but he hit pretty hard, so it was a pretty even match. In the end, though, Roxas won. I cheered loudly for him.

"And the winner is Roxas!" The announcer yelled, holding up Roxas' left arm. Roxas waved a little sheepishly. "Not even friendship will slow this kid down. And Hayner put up a great fight, too!" Roxas ran over to his friend, who lay sprawled on the stage.

"I lost! Aww, I can't believe it!" He moaned. He stood, and turned to Roxas. "I guess I taught you well!"

"I had a lot of fun fighting you." Roxas said, clearly glad to have his friend back. Hayner smiled, but then his face took on a stubborn look.

"Yeah, well I didn't, wise guy." I grinned; Hayner was just being mulish. Roxas put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up." Roxas suggested.

"Nah, that's all right." Hayner pretended to punch Roxas, hitting his hands. Seifer hopped up on the stage, and brushed past the two.

"Out of the way."

"You in a rush to lose?" Hayner asked. Roxas jumped when he saw that Vivi was standing right next to him. Vivi looked up at him, and gave him the creepiest laugh I'd ever heard. Roxas and Hayner came off the stage and stood next to me and the other two, accepting our congratulations and sympathies. Roxas gave me a look, and I nodded; we could talk after the tournament. I glanced over at the two opponents, and saw that Vivi was openly staring at Roxas. It gave me the shivers.

"Don't mess with your elders!" Seifer growled to Vivi.

"Whoa, just look at those sparks fly! I guess Seifer didn't expect to fight one of his own boys!" The announcer called. The match began, and to my great surprise, Vivi was fighting back pretty well. He was fast, and met most of Seifer's attacks with his own.

"When did Vivi get so tough?" I asked. Roxas just shook his head. Vivi attacked Seifer before pressing down with all his strength. Seifer struggled for a moment, then smacked Vivi away, a single blue orb flying away from him.

"You're mine!" Seifer said, running towards the orb. Completely out of nowhere, Vivi ran in front of the orb and smashed Seifer away, several yellow orbs flying away. Seifer hit the ground with a loud smack. The crowd went dead silent.

"I-I'm not sure what just happened." The announcer said in shock. The crowd began whispering frantically to each other, staring at Vivi strangely. I was no exception; something was definitely wrong here. That wasn't Vivi. "Um…but…the winner is…Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!" The announcer finished. The crowd let out a smattering of applause and cheers.

"Does anyone else think that wasn't right?" I asked. The other four looked at the stage, frowning.

"That's not Vivi." Seifer's voice, for once quiet, broke me out of my thoughts. Roxas turned as well, a confused look on his face. Seifer, Rai and Fuu walked past us, Seifer saying one last thing;

"Thrash 'em." The Struggle organizer informed Hayner that Seifer had dropped out of the running.

"So I'm in third now? Aww, baby!" He exclaimed. I took Roxas aside.

"Be careful. There's something not right going on here." I said softly, looking around to see that we weren't overheard. He nodded, looking a little nervous. He climbed up onto the stage, accepted his Struggle bat, and faced Vivi. I went over to where I had placed my stick/sword, and placed my hand on top of it. It was a comfort thing.

"And now, the match you've all been waiting for; Roxas VS Vivi!" My eyes narrowed as the match began. I somehow got the feeling that something was going to happen. A very bad something. Roxas and Vivi battled for quite a while, both very evenly matched. Roxas had a few close calls, but he managed to stay on his feet. As he charged at Vivi, the air around us suddenly rippled. In that instant, I knew this was what I had been expecting. I grabbed the stick, just as Vivi's body started glowing. Everything around us had frozen; the people, the wind, everything except for me, Roxas and Vivi…

Or what _was _Vivi.

Several Dusks had taken his place.

"Again?!" Roxas demanded, sounding frustrated. His Struggle bat disappeared, and was replaced by a strange, key-like weapon. "Again?" He shook his head, and began to fight. I stared at the weapon for a moment. It somehow seemed…familiar. I shook my head at my delay; Roxas needed help. I ran to the stage, but more creatures stopped my path. I cursed under my breath, and began swinging wildly at the creatures. They were too fast for my wild swings, though. Just as I thought I was going to be defeated, the stick changed into the sword. The sapphire at the end of it flashed, and I began to fight again. Once every Dusk was gone, Roxas and I panted, exhausted.

"Are you all right?" I called, brushing my hair away. He nodded, and looked around at the frozen world. I went over to Olette, and tried to shake her shoulder. My hand passed right through her. I jumped a little at that. It was like I wasn't even there…a ghost. I whipped around at the sound of clapping. It was the black cloaked man! Roxas looked around as well, distrust in his eyes. My hand gripped the hilt of the sword tighter.

"Roxas. All right. Fight fight fight!"


End file.
